Queen: The Complete Works (142 page)

By the time the band got to Berlin, ‘One Vision’ was dropped permanently in favor of ‘Surf’s Up ... School’s Out !’, a most appropriate – and daring – opener. ‘Time To Shine’ was added in Antwerp, but out as quickly as it was introduced due to a mistimed cue into the first chorus. ‘Seagull’, always a favorite of Paul’s, was replaced in Zurich in favor of ‘The Stealer’, and ‘Warboys (A Prayer For Peace)’ was performed only three times early on in the tour. ‘Wishing Well’ and ‘Shooting Star’ were also early casualties, and both ‘Hammer To Fall’ and ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ were frequently in and out of the set. It seemed that the band had little clue exactly how they wanted the new set to be prepared, and with only three constant new songs – ‘C-lebrity’, ‘Say It’s Not True’, and ‘Cosmos Rockin” – the new album was severely underrepresented. Only as the tour progressed did ‘Surf’s Up . . . School’s Out !’, ‘We Believe’, and ‘Voodoo’ start to make more frequent appearances.

The tour lumbered on throughout October, and on the 13th, Danny Miranda was hospitalized. By noon the next day the Cardiff gig was in serious jeopardy of being canceled, but Neil Murray was hastily recruited and a quick rehearsal was held. ‘We Believe’ was
dropped in favor of ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’, as Neil admitted that would be the one song he would be bound to make mistakes in, though he felt confident enough in his abilities for it to be reinstated the following night. By Liverpool, Danny was back on his bass duties, and ready and eager to assist Roger in his nightly upright electric bass solo. (In his absence, Jamie played the bass during Roger’s solo.)

As South America had been neglected on the 2005/2006 tour, five dates were tacked onto the end of the schedule, and fans were predictably rabid. At press conferences, the exhausted primary musicians were interviewed by overeager journalists, but the focus was clearly pointed on Brian and Roger, with many mentions – and fond remembrances – of Freddie made. Paul simply stood awkwardly, forgotten and ignored, while it was clear that as long as he sang with Brian and Roger, he would always be in Freddie’s shadow. The South American leg saw both ‘Under Pressure’ and ‘Las Palabras De Amor (The Words Of Love)’ added, though the latter had received its live debut a month prior in Madrid. The Buenos Aires gig was filmed for a potential DVD release, and was also televised across the country. By the time the tour wrapped up in Rio de Janeiro, fans were clamoring for news of the tour to continue into 2009.

The Rock The Cosmos tour had seen vast improvements – despite the set being too similar (and the always lovely ‘These Are The Days Of Our Lives’ inexplicably not performed even once) to the 2005/2006 tour, journalists were, on the whole, pleased. While Freddie’s absence was inevitable, it was especially surprising that critics, after years of vilifying him, suddenly praised him. Glasgow’s The Herald wrote, “Nobody could ever have filled the ballet slippers of Freddie Mercury and Paul Rodgers makes no attempt to do so. He has nothing to prove to anybody and sings Queen’s songs his way. And for the most part, it works beautifully.” Nottingham’s Telegraph made note of Paul’s awkwardness and commended Brian on picking up the slack: “It was May who took the limelight, strutting around with his big, bouncy hair, firing off little solos as the band – including three supporting players on bass, guitar and keyboards – warmed up with ‘Hammer To Fall’ and ‘Tie Your Mother Down’. His assurance was in contrast with Rodgers, who looked frankly a bit awkward and exposed; he strikes me as a singer who is happiest behind a microphone stand rather than parading and preening.”

Apart from a useless and tired dig at Brian’s hair, the Wharf.co.uk review of the London O2 show was positive: “The veteran rockers made a triumphant return to London proving once again there’s no substitute for great songs and well-honed stage-craft ... No major surprises perhaps, but one of the best shows you’re likely to see this or any other year.”
The Birmingham Post
praised Paul: “It could be argued that Queen without Freddie Mercury is like a bacon butty without brown sauce, yet the stinging guitar of Brian May was always as much a part of their sound as their late frontman’s voice ... With Paul Rodgers, the pocket-sized powerhouse from Free and Bad Company, they have found a kindred spirit.”
The Journal Live
also took note of Paul’s increasing confidence: “[Rodgers] had the crowd eating out of his hand – only one man could take his limelight: a certain Brian May. Looking effortlessly cool churning out electric riffs that worked the crowd into frenzy and then just as comfortable sitting on the edge of the runway stage singing the softly anthemic ‘Love of My Life’, with a 10,000-strong backing choir.”
The Birmingham Mail
summed up the fans’ general opinon of the tour thusly: “With a back catalogue so rich in treasures it would be criminal not to continue sharing the joys of a Queen concert, so thank you, Brian May and Roger Taylor, for ensuring the show goes on.”

Sadly, the show was just about to end. The slapdash manner of the construction of the repertoire was unusual for such perfectionists as Brian and Roger, and only after the tour concluded was it made unofficially public (through sources, hence its unofficial status) that not all was rosy behind the scenes. Reports varied over the tension, but Brian was clearly displeased with ‘Surf’s Up . . . School’s Out !’ as the opener; when ‘Hammer To Fall’ returned to the set in Nottingham, it was as the first number, and its displaced opener was performed right before the acoustic set. Furthermore, the increasing omissions of Paul’s solo material, and the general similarities to the preceding tour, made it clear that the band hadn’t rehearsed a whole lot of new material. There was some tension reported between Paul and Brian: the vocalist wanted to rehearse more songs, while the guitarist was content with the hits show the set had become. By the end of October, Brian had ceased writing about the tour on his Soapbox; he had started off as prolific as before, but there wasn’t any mention of the tour throughout November. By the time the tour ended, he had written a cryptic note on his site: “Tonight ... the very end of a long voyage.”
Four days later, Brian addressed a fan who asked if the band were splitting up, responding that nothing concrete had been decided for their future. When asked of plans for a release of the South American gigs, Brian went on the defensive, protesting that he was more interested in working in the “now” than on the “past”; that gigs that took place less than a month prior could be considered in the past was a telling statement.

There was no further mention of the tour into 2009, with Brian remaining tight-lipped on the future, though he did talk at length of animal rights and his new protégée, Kerry Ellis. There was no mention of Paul Rodgers anywhere, and the vocalist finally broke radio silence in May by announcing a tour with a reformed Bad Company. As to the future of Queen + Paul Rodgers? “At this point we’re gonna sit back from this,” Paul told
Billboard
. “My arrangement with [Brian and Roger] was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy (Page) in The Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement ... It’s kind of an open book, really. If they approach me to do something for charity, for instance, or something like that ... I’d be very much into doing that, for sure.” He was more blunt with VH1: “We did a world tour, we did a second tour of Europe and the Far East and Eastern Europe and a studio album, and I think we’re kind of leaving it there gently ... It’s out there for us to do things in the future if there’s something – a huge charity, say, like Nelson Mandela – but I think we are pretty much done.” Indeed, that same month, Brian and Roger appeared on
American Idol
, backing silver medalist Adam Lambert on ‘We Are The Champions’. The guitarist enthused to
Rolling Stone
shortly thereafter, “[We] are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with [Adam] at some point. It’s not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn’t that easy. But I’d certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there.” Brian and Roger were clearly throwing ideas at the wall and hoping that something – anything – stuck; happily for all, a Queen + Adam Lambert partnership never happened. The
persona non grata
attitude toward his association with Brian and Roger on the band’s official website was insulting enough to the mighty Paul Rodgers, but to have gone from a bona fide singer to a c-lebrity would have been a slap to the face.

GUEST APPEARANCES

Not surprisingly, Brian was the Queen member most willing to jump onto a stage and jam with any band he appreciated, though Roger wasn’t too far behind (most were with the SAS Band or for charity) – even John and Freddie made the occasional guest appearance. This is a brief overview of when and where a certain band member jammed with whom, and, where possible, what songs were played.

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON

(BLACK SABBATH)

21 JANUARY 1981

Repertoire:
‘Paranoid’, ‘Children Of The Grave’

FREDDIE MERCURY: HOGS GRUNT PUB,

CRICKLEWOOD
(TAXI)

8 JANUARY 1982

Repertoire:
‘Jailhouse Rock’

FREDDIE MERCURY: VENUE UNKNOWN,

MANCHESTER
(ELTON JOHN)

19 NOVEMBER 1982

Repertoire:
‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Twist And Shout’

ROGER TAYLOR: THE TUBE
(ROBERT PLANT)

22 JUNE 1983 [TV SEGMENT, NOT BROADCAST] Musicians:
Robert Plant
(vocals)
, Roger Taylor
(drums, backing vocals)
, Paul Martinez
(bass guitar)
, Bob Mayo
(guitar, synthesizers)
, J. Boodruffer
(keyboards)
, Robbie Blunt
(guitar)

Repertoire:
‘Little Sister’, ‘Treat Her Right’, ‘Sea Of Love’, ‘Pledge Pin’, ‘Other Arms’, ‘In The Mood’, ‘Big Log’, ‘Like I’ve Never Been Gone’, ‘Worse Than Detroit’, ‘Other Arms’, ‘In The Mood’, Drum Intro / ‘Big Log’, ‘Fat Lip’, ‘Burning Down One Side’

BRIAN MAY: THE FORUM, LOS ANGELES

(DEF LEPPARD)

11 SEPTEMBER 1983

Repertoire:
‘Travellin’ Band’

BRIAN MAY: CAPITAL RADIO GUITAR

MASTERCLASS

20 NOVEMBER 1983

Repertoire:
Introduction, ‘Pavan’
(2 takes)
, Guitar Improvisation, ‘Love Of My Life’

While Queen were in Munich recording
The Works
, Brian was approached by Capital Radio to take part in an event called Rock School; Brian’s set was augmented by two guitarists from the audience whom Brian would teach on stage. It took place at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London and comprised two takes of a traditional song called ‘Pavan’, a brief guitar solo and a rendition of ‘Love Of My Life’. This performance was broadcast live on radio and was later released on cassette.

BRIAN MAY: ROCK IN RIO FESTIVAL

(PARALAMAS DO SUCCESSO)

16 JANUARY 1985

Repertoire unknown

BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE, LONDON

(REO SPEEDWAGON)

29 MAY 1985

Repertoire:
‘Johnny B. Goode’

BRIAN MAY: UNKNOWN VENUE,

NEW ORLEANS
(WITH EDDIE VAN HALEN & JOHN ENTWISTLE)

22 JUNE 1985

Repertoire unknown

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON

(BAD NEWS, WITH JIMMY PAGE)

9 NOVEMBER 1986

Repertoire:
‘Drink Till I Die’, ‘Masturbike’, ‘Warriors Of Ghengis Khan’, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, Guitar Duel’, ‘Bad News’

BRIAN MAY: READING ROCK FESTIVAL

(BAD NEWS)

29 AUGUST 1987

Repertoire:
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Warriors Of Ghengis Khan’, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, ‘Bad News’, ‘Life With Brian’

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON

(DEF LEPPARD)

9 SEPTEMBER 1987

Repertoire:
‘Now I’m Here’

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON

(BAD NEWS)

5 NOVEMBER 1987

Repertoire:
Guitar Solo, ‘Hey Hey Bad News’, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’

BRIAN MAY & JOHN DEACON:

PRINCE’S TRUST CONCERT

5 JUNE 1988

Repertoire:
‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’
(vocals: Midge Ure)
, ‘What Is Love?’
(vocals: Howard Jones)
, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’
(vocals: Rick Astley)
, ‘Wonderful Life’
(vocals: Colin Vearcombe)
, ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’
(vocals: Phil Collins)
, ‘The Letter’
(vocals: Joe Cocker)
, ‘You Win Again’
(vocals: The Bee Gees)
, ‘Sledgehammer’
(vocals: Peter Gabriel)
, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’
(vocals: Joe Cocker & Marti Pellow)

Brian played guitar on all songs, while John performed bass only on ‘The Letter’. This concert was later issued on VHS and DVD.

BRIAN MAY: WEMBLEY ARENA, LONDON

(BON JOVI, ELTON JOHN, RICK ALLEN, LITA FORD)

12 DECEMBER 1988

Repertoire:
‘Get Back’, ‘Travellin’ Band’

BRIAN MAY: MARQUEE CLUB, LONDON

(BAD NEWS, WITH JIMMY PAGE)

16 AND 17 DECEMBER 1988

Repertoire unknown

BRIAN MAY: HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON

(JERRY LEE LEWIS)

21 NOVEMBER 1989

Repertoire:
‘High School Confidential’, ‘Rockin’ My Life Away’, ‘Johnny B. Goode’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘Great Balls Of Fire’, ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’, ‘Tutti Frutti’, ‘Mexicali Rose’, ‘Wild One’

Brian was invited to perform at this show, but when the notoriously unreliable Jerry Lee Lewis didn’t show up for the planned rehearsals two weeks beforehand, there was some concern that the show would be
cancelled. Thankfully, Jerry Lee finally showed up, and the concert was filmed for a potential VHS release.